Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old man, was sentenced to 25 years in prison following his knife attack on author Salman Rushdie in 2022, which resulted in Rushdie losing vision in one eye. During the sentencing, Matar showed no remorse, describing Rushdie as a "hypocrite" and expressing his belief in freedom of speech while asserting that Rushdie disrespected others.
Rushdie, now 77, did not attend the hearing but submitted a statement indicating he experiences nightmares related to the incident. He had been speaking at an event promoting writer safety when Matar approached him from behind and stabbed him multiple times. The attack, captured on video, drew gasps from the audience as they witnessed the chaos unfold, prompting onlookers to intervene.
A jury found Matar guilty of attempted murder and assault in February after deliberating for just under two hours. Presiding Judge David Foley remarked on the location of the attack, highlighting the contradiction of attempting murder in a space dedicated to freedom of ideas. Matar was also sentenced to an additional seven years for wounding a man on stage with Rushdie, although this term will run concurrently with the 25-year sentence.
Following the attack, Rushdie spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and underwent further rehabilitation in New York City. He detailed his harrowing recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife. Matar’s defence attorney sought a sentence of around 12 years, citing his lack of prior offences, but the prosecution pushed for the maximum penalty, framing Matar’s actions as a deliberate assault not only on Rushdie but on the wider community present that day.
Matar’s legal troubles are not over; he faces a federal trial on terrorism charges, which will explore his motives for the attack. Prosecutors claim Matar believed he was enacting a fatwa issued in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which called for Rushdie’s death following the publication of The Satanic Verses. Matar’s belief in the support for this edict, allegedly linked to the militant group Hezbollah, will be central to the upcoming trial. If convicted of the federal charges, he faces a potential life sentence.